You’ve probably done most of the usual tourist spots in London but there are so many more places to discover in the city which you might not find in your average tour guide.

London is packed with secret, hidden and fascinating places which might go unnoticed, undiscovered or even unseen by most visitors.

You might have walked past some places several times – a police box posing as a street lamp maybe.

Others may simply be unknown to the average visitor – how about the remains of a church which is now a public park, London’s very own nod to Venice, or Roman walls which once stood proud around the city?

There are buildings we aren't usually allowed into like London’s first skyscraper.

And those we can but with a significance we might not know about – like a wine bar whose building is a rare survivor of the Great Fire of London.

Meanwhile, there are those places lurking below our feet which we might not be able to see – a street below a street, Roman remains in a barber’s basement and an underground station with a vital job in the Second World War.

Here are 11 fascinating and hidden places in London which you may have never seen before.

1. Victorian Pet Cemetery, Hyde Park

Tiny headstones mark the graves of the beloved animals which are buried at the Victorian Pet Cemetery.

Tucked away in a quiet corner of Hyde Park, the cemetery, where the remains of 300 animals are buried, is rarely open to the public.

You’ll find it next to the Victoria Gate Lodge on Bayswater Road and might be able to spot the little gravestones if you peek through the fence.

The Royal Parks is a charity for London’s eight Royal Parks and in September 2017 offered a walking tour which included a special visit to the cemetery where you can read the inscribed names of beloved departed pets.

5. Paddock, Brook Road, North West London

Paddock is the codename of a back-up bunker for Winston Churchill’s cabinet.

Secretly built 40 feet below ground in Dollis Hill, it was virtually bombproof and its two floors had 40 rooms designed to accommodate the war cabinet and staff and would be Churchill’s last refuge if the Battle of Britain had been lost.

However, it was only used once or twice by Churchill’s cabinet in the end because the prime minister found it too damp.

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The entire Roman Basilica would have been massive – it was originally built in AD70 and then vastly extended 20 years later – this extension took about 30 years to complete, covered two hectors of land, was three storeys high and one of the largest construction projects north of the Alps.

Of course you can’t just wander into the basement for a look but while you’re having a haircut or browsing nearby shops you can spare a moment to think about the world that once existed on this spot.

8. Down Street – Churchill’s Secret Station, Mayfair

Down Street underground station may be disused today but had a vital role in the war (Image: London Transport Museum)

Between Hyde Park Corner and Green Park stations, Down Street was a tube station from 1907 to 1932.

However, although seemingly insignificant to travellers, it took on a vital role in the Second World War when it secretly became the Railway Executive Committee's bomb-proof headquarters.

Here in the warren of narrow tunnels the nation's railways were coordinated.

What’s more Winston Churchill secretly took refuge here at the height of the Blitz.

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The London Transport Museum runs tours to Down Street station as part of its Hidden London series of tours and events at disused stations and secret sites across London.

Tickets for this and other tours are due to go on sale in April. To be among the first to find out exactly when they are going on sale and the dates of the tours you’ll need to sign up to London Transport Museum’s newsletter by Tuesday, April 4.

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The site tells us it was built in 1926 inside an ornamental light which was hollowed out. Windows and a phone to Scotland Yard were installed. Apparently, according to Historic UK, whenever the phone was picked up the light on top of the box started to flash.

Today, we are told by Historic UK, it is a broom cupboard for council cleaners.

10. The Olde Wine Shades, Martin Lane, Cannon Street

This building survived The Great Fire of London (Image: Thomas Alexander Photography)

The Great Fire of London of 1666 destroyed pretty much everything within the city as it was at the time. In fact the Historic UK website has pinpointed that out of the 13,000 buildings destroyed – including the original St Paul’s Cathedral - only 18 still survive today.

One of those buildings, if you fancy searching it out, is home to the bar, The Olde Wine Shades.

If you call in for drink you may be unaware of its remarkable history and the hidden spaces down in its depths.

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The London Transport Museum runs tours at 55 Broadway as part of its Hidden London series of tours and events.

Like the Down Station tour, tickets for this and other tours are due to go on sale in April. To be among the first to find out exactly when they are going on sale and the dates of the tours you’ll need to sign up to London Transport Museum’s newsletter by Tuesday, April 4.